Just say no to Huntington Beach desalination proposal

Poseidon Water, a private corporation based in Connecticut, is making the next move in their effort to build an environmentally destructive ocean desalination plant in Huntington Beach.  After a humiliating setback at the California Coastal Commission in November 2013, they are once again moving forward with their proposal, with no attempt to protect the environment. You can help stop this threat by sending a letter to the Orange County Water District Board.

For 15 years Poseidon has been searching for a customer for their overpriced water. The lack of a customer was one of the major reasons the Coastal Commission did not approve the project in 2013. Now they are aiming to solve that problem. After failing to convince local cities and water districts to buy desalinated water, Poseidon has focused their efforts on the Orange County Water District (OCWD).

The Orange County Water District meeting at 5:30 p.m. May 14 will be held in the boardroom at 18700 Ward St., Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Join us and make your voice heard.

OCWD is the regional groundwater manager for Orange County and Poseidon’s last chance for a customer. Through a combination of the drought and hefty political contributions from Poseidon the OCWD board is seriously considering buying the full 56,000 acre feet per year capacity of the plant. Since OCWD is a groundwater agency, the plan is to pump the desalinated water into the aquifer and then charge the local cities and water districts when they pump it back out, effectively forcing them to pay for water they have already decided they don’t want.

Knowing that that the price of their water is the major obstacle to finding a buyer Poseidon is proposing to cut cost by using an existing  open ocean intake and outfall, posing a serious threat to marine life and water quality. Open ocean intakes are so destructive to marine life that the state decided to ban their use for powerplants in 2010. The desalination plant will also use a huge amount of energy, enough for 30,000 homes, adding to green house gas emissions.

This affects more than Orange County. If OCWD moves forward with Poseidon, it will send a message statewide that water supply trumps any environmental concerns.

There are better alternatives. We can start by conserving more water. Seventy percent of Orange County’s water use is for landscaping, and that can be changed. We can also recycle more waste water and urban runoff, Orange County is a renowned leader in this technology. These alternatives have multiple public benefits including being cheaper and more environmentally friendly than ocean desalination.

On April 30, OCWD will decide whether to enter into a Water Purchase Agreement with Poseidon. If Poseidon is successful, it will be a major step forward for the project. You can help stop this destructive ocean desalination plant. Attend the OCWD board meeting or send a letter and tell them No on Poseidon!